Extend Your Notebook's Battery Life with Vista Battery Saver (Beta 2)

Are you the proud owner of a Vista-equipped notebook? If so, you may have discovered that battery life leaves something to be desired. Turns out that Microsoft's highly touted Aero Glass and Sidebar features consume an inordinate amount of power. Enter Vista Battery Saver, a clever utility that automatically disables Aero Glass and/or the Sidebar when your notebook is running off its battery -- and enables them again when you plug in the AC juice.

The new Beta 2 version adds automatic power-scheme changing depending on the power source. Frankly, I'm surprised this capability wasn't baked into Vista from the get-go. Maybe Acer president Gianfranco Lanci was onto something when he called out Vista for being an "industry disappointment." In any case, if you're a Vista notebook user, you'll definitely want to check out this utility. Just keep in mind that it's a user-developed program and a beta, so it might not be bug-free. [via jkOnTheRun]